This invention relates to food preparation in general and, more particularly, to a method of making bread dough, pizza dough, bread, and pizza crust.
Bread has four basic components: flour, salt, yeast, and a liquid. The components are typically added together in a container at the same time to form a mass of dough. The yeast, however, is usually mixed with a small amount of warm water before it is added to the container in order to dissolve the yeast.
Flour contains proteins, starches, and sugars. When flour is mixed with a liquid, such as water, the proteins react and form gluten. Gluten creates an elastic strand in the bread dough. The yeast in the dough consumes the sugars in the dough as the yeast feeds itself. As the yeast feeds, the dough ferments. The elastic strands in the gluten trap and retain the carbon dioxide in the dough, thereby causing the dough to rise. The yeast in the dough ferments the sugars to generate alcohol and carbon dioxide. In order to increase the retention of carbon dioxide in the dough, the gluten is formed into an elastic web by physically manipulating the dough through kneading.
Many home bakers knead the dough by hand, using an electric mixer equipped with a helical mixing arm called a "dough hook", or using an electric mixer such as a food processor equipped with a plastic dough blade. Commercial bakeries mix dough by hand or using an electric mixer equipped with a helical, spiral, or oblique mixing arm. Often, the home baker kneads the dough in the mechanical mixer for 10 minutes or so. The commercial baker kneads the dough in the mechanical mixer for up to 20 minutes.
After the dough is kneaded, the dough is left to ferment and then molded into a desired shape, such as a loaf. The dough is then "proofed", that is, allowed to sit for a period of time in order to allow the dough to rise and take its final shape. Typically, the bread is proofed at a slightly elevated temperature to increase the activity of the yeast. After being proofed, the dough is baked for a period of time to form bread.
The quality of the bread made pursuant to the foregoing prior art method can be adversely affected by several factors. For example, the mechanical mixer exposes the dough to an enormous amount of air when it kneads the dough, especially if the mechanical mixer is utilized for an extended period of time such as ten minutes. The chemical process known as "oxidation" takes place. During oxidation, oxygen in the ambient air leaches out some of the color, flavor, and nutrients in the dough. In many instances, the mechanical mixer actually puts air into the dough, thereby causing the bread to be featherlight and bland.
Another factor that can adversely affect the quality of the bread is mixing the dough at too high of a temperature. The mechanical mixer heats the dough significantly, especially if the mechanical mixer is utilized for an extended period of time such as ten minutes. If the temperature of the dough is too high, the yeast is too active, might be killed and, thus, the bread will not rise properly. Some techniques have attempted to overcome the problem of heating during mixing by precooling the ingredients, cooling the bowl during mixing, or both.
Based upon the foregoing, there is a need in the art for an improved method of making bread dough and pizza dough. The present invention is directed to such a method.